Diary of the Avatar
by JBEMT
Summary: "This is your key to finding the avatar. This is a diary passed down from avatar to avatar. You must study this like a hunter studies his prey, and you will find the answers you need."


Diary of the Avatar

Outside of a grand temple covered in the light of flames stood two men dressed in red Fire Nation naval armor. One was a thirteen year old boy with a fresh bandage over his left eye, and a plump old man with a smile on his face and determination in his eye.

"Uncle, why are we at the fire sages temple? I have to find the Avatar," The boy scowled as they walked.

The old man calmly replied, "Patience Prince Zuko, in time you will see."

Zuko shouted, "But we're wasting time."

The old man only strolled forward, ignoring his nephew's disrespectful shouts. He was doing him a favor after all. This was all a step toward reuniting the world. The old man walked towards the temple, as his nephew followed behind, begrudgingly like a child.

The old man slowed his pace as he reached the gate to the temple exchanging a smile with the sage in the tower above.

The Sage shouted, "Iroh, it is good to see you again."

The old man replied with smile, "The pleasure is mine. Shu, would you kindly open the gate? I have a brief errand to run."

"Iroh, you may enter, however the banished prince may not." The man stated looking in Zuko's direction.

Zuko who had finally caught up with his Uncle let out another outburst, "I don't need your permission, I'm the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

"Not anymore you're not."

Iroh spoke again, "Now calm down. It's just a brief errand before we head to our ship, we will only be a moment. Besides I'm Zuko's guardian, I couldn't leave him alone, think of how irresponsible that would make me."

Iroh's act worked. "Very well, you may enter. Would you care for an escort?"

"That won't be necessary," Zuko, stated the perpetual scowl still spread across his face.

Iroh merely ignored his nephews comments and strolled through the now open gate. He weaved his way through the maze of hallways. Zuko who had quickened his pace so as to not get lost in the massive maze of a temple, was just a step behind his Uncle. Zuko's curiosity was piqued as he wondered what his business his Unlce could have in the Fire Sage's temple. But, knowing Uncle Iroh he was probably picking up something trivial and unimportant, like a pi sho tile, or a tea recipe. After all, they wouldn't be returning to the Fire Nation until the Avatar was in chains.

Iroh slowed his pace, and Zuko followed suit, as the pair reached a set of double doors. Zuko wondered how his Uncle could tell the rooms apart. From the outside they all looked the same, but this hall was completely empty with the exception of this set of doors. Iroh gently pushed the passage open, and strolled in. Zuko followed behind and was in awe what he saw.

The room was dimly lit by candles scattered about, but he could clearly see the room was massive. Book cases towered over them, they must have been at least for stories tall. They were packed together tightly creating narrow passages that looked as if they a child would struggle squeezing through. The shelves were over flowing with books, and scrolls which ran down like waterfalls, and across the floor like rivers.

Zuko hadn't even noticed that his Uncle had weaved through the book cases and was climbing a ladder to his destination. Iroh perched on a ladder that looked as if would crack any second beneath the man's weight, scanned the shelves as he stroked his gray beard. Iroh then reached into the bookcase and grabbed a book that seemed indistinguishable from all the others. He climbed down the ladder and made his way over to Zuko, and presented him with the seemingly insignificant book.

Zuko looked down at the old decrypt relic, it was falling apart and looked as if it would disintegrate if he touched it.

"What is it," asked Zuko with a puzzled look on his face?

"This is your key to finding the avatar. This is a diary passed down from avatar to avatar, "Iroh paused and continued. " You must study this like a hunter studies his prey, and you will find the answers you need."

Zuko looked shocked, but the shock quickly turned to anger. "This is why you brought me here," he screamed. "I don't need some stupid book to find the avatar, I'll find him on my own and restore my honor," Zuko threw the book at his Uncle and stormed out, retracing his steps toward the temple entrance.

Iroh merely sighed and looked down at book in his hands. He placed the diary under his arm and followed his nephew out.


End file.
